By Amlan Chakraborty
CHATEAUROUX, France (Reuters) – Born and raised in the Chilean capital Santiago, Jorge Antonio Salhe has never set foot in Palestine, the country he represented in skeet shooting at the Paris Games.
But distance has only made the heart grow fonder and more anguished for the first Palestinian shooter to appear at the Olympic Games.
Salhe did not make the final of the men’s skeet event but just being able to compete at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre gave him a sense of fulfilment.
“I feel very happy and proud to represent Palestine,” the 49-year-old told Reuters.
“It’s a historic occasion to represent Palestine in Olympic shooting.”
Salhe’s mother was born in Bethlehem and her family emigrated to Chile when she was four. His father was born in the south American country, which has the largest Palestinian community outside the Middle East.
“Most of my immediate family emigrated from Palestine to different countries around the world, particularly Latin America,” Salhe said.
“However, there are still some relatives living in Palestine.”
The anxiety about their safety in particular prevented Salhe from savouring the greatest moment of his shooting career.
“It is impossible to leave aside the pain and suffering that my country is experiencing,” he said referring to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
“Due to the situation that Palestine has been experiencing for a long time, it is impossible to dedicate myself 100% to my sport.”
The conflict has seen at least 39,400 Palestinians killed since Israel unleashed its offensive against Hamas in response to the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people.
An industrial civil engineer by profession, Salhe’s introduction to shooting began with hunting trips with his father before he joined the Chilean Air Force Shooting Club in Santiago.
He may not have won a medal in Paris but Salhe said he considered his presence there an achievement in itself.
“Because athletes like me are here, Palestine is present in the world’s view and is not forgotten at a time like this,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I have not been to Palestine yet but I hope to be able to do so in the near future.”
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in Chateauroux; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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